Etihad Airways to launch new service to Barcelona

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways has announced the introduction of a new scheduled service linking Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, and Barcelona, Spain, effective 21 November 2018. The route will initially be operated five times a week by a two-class Airbus A330-200 before becoming a daily operation from 31 March 2019.

New flights between Abu Dhabi and Barcelona effective 21 November 2018

Starting with five weekly flights, service to increase to daily from 31 March 2019

Barcelona
will become the second city in Spain served by Etihad Airways, complementing
the airline’s existing daily service to the capital Madrid. The new link will
provide business and leisure travellers with convenient timings to travel
between Abu Dhabi and Barcelona, also providing seamless onward connections
through Abu Dhabi to major cities in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia,
China, Japan, Korea and Australia.

Peter
Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer Etihad Airways, said: “As one of the
largest unserved markets from our Abu Dhabi base, Barcelona - a hub of culture,
commerce, tourism, education, fashion and science, has witnessed a significant
increase in travel demand from the emirate, and from across our wider network.

“We
are now delighted to announce the first direct link between these two important
global hubs. We are confident it will prove very popular with UAE and
Barcelona-based customers, allowing us to extend our acclaimed inflight
service, hospitality and flair to this vibrant Mediterranean city, and to build
on the flourishing cultural and commercial ties between the UAE and Spain.”

The
Catalonia region is immensely popular with business and leisure travellers alike.
With 7.5 million inhabitants, beautiful mountain scenery and a 214 kilometre
Mediterranean coastline, the region is rich in natural parks and protected
areas. Barcelona is one of the world’s most visited cities, famed for its
unique culture, Gaudi architecture, history and cosmopolitan lifestyle.

Trade
between the UAE and the Catalonia region has enjoyed significant growth in
recent years, with food, chemicals, motor vehicles, energy and pharmaceuticals
being the main industrial sectors.

Barcelona
has recently been ranked by the International Congress and Convention
Association (ICCA) as the city which hosted the most international association
meetings in the world in 2017, overtaking Paris, Berlin and Vienna to claim
first place for the first time since 2004. Etihad Airways will increase
frequency to the city to meet passenger demand for the Mobile World Congress,
which takes place from 25-28 February 2019.

The
new service is being launched in time for the start of the 2018 Formula 1
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Middle East’s largest sporting event,
held from 23-25 November at the capital’s 5.55 kilometre Yas Marina Circuit.

Barcelona
is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world and an important source market
of cruise traffic for Etihad Airways. Abu Dhabi has also emerged as one of the
leading cruise destinations in the Arabian Gulf region, with over 329,105
cruise tourists visiting the city during the 2017 season. The new direct
service between the two cities will ensure Abu Dhabi remains a leading player
in the region’s cruise travel ambitions.

Etihad
Airways operates an extensive codeshare partnership with Air Europa (UX), on
the Spanish airline’s scheduled services from Madrid to Barcelona and 18 other
major European cities.